Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons is reportedly 100% healthy according to his agent. Stop me if you’ve heard this song before. The oft-injured or otherwise unavailable Simmons has barely played since joining Brooklyn as part of the James Harden to Philadelphia trade back in 2022. When he’s been on the court, Simmons hasn’t been the same explosive player he was during his 76ers years.
The Nets are in a full-on rebuild
Saying the quiet part out loud, winning games is not the priority in this upcoming season. The Nets, now in control of their own destiny after reacquiring their own picks, want the best possible draft status to grab an impact player in the 2025 draft. They also want to see development from their young core of Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead, and Nic Claxton.
So where does the soon-to-be 28-year-old Simmons fit? He isn’t a part of the team’s long-term plans and his albatross contract which sees him making over $40 million this season expires at the end of the season, ending a nightmarish run in Brooklyn.
Still, the Nets are thin on guards, especially facilitators, with only Simmons and veteran Dennis Schroder filling that role. Simmons is no longer an elite transition scorer and has seen his scoring output drop to 6.9 points per game in 2022-2023 and 6.1 points per game in 2023-2024. The only truly elite skill he has left is his court vision, which could be useful for the young Nets.
Simmons can help the young core develop
The Nets won’t be good this season, but if they want this not to be a completely lost year they need to see development from their young pieces. That can’t happen if the team is completely devoid of talent around them. These young pieces all have aspects of their game to work on, but if they are so far and away the only options on the floor that can’t happen. Instead, you’ll see a lot of misguided hero ball and the development of bad habits.
Simmons’s ability as a facilitator can foster development. Players like Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney, and Dariq Whitehead need to learn how to play within the flow of an NBA offense. Thomas is already an elite scorer, but he needs to work on his ability to be a secondary playmaker. Clowney needs to develop as a true catch-and-shoot threat beyond the arc, and Whitehead needs on-court exposure in an NBA environment.
Simmons can help all of these players in these development areas through his ability as a facilitator. That means more open looks for Clowney, more opportunities for Thomas to make plays as a secondary ball handler, and more real offensive sets being run for Whitehead to develop in.
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A healthy Ben Simmons is a valuable asset
Right now, Simmons is a negative asset on the trade market. He only serves as a bloated salary to swap for another bloated salary, and in order for the Nets to get any additional assets back for him the bloated salary they exchange him for would have to extend past this season for a trade partner to also relinquish draft capital.
In addition to a healthy Simmons aiding in the young Nets’ development, establishing a record of health and production could generate some interest from contenders at the trade deadline. At that point, if healthy, Simmons would be a half-season rental for a contender looking for playmaking and defensive versatility down the stretch which could garner a pick in a trade deadline swap, without having to take on a bad, multi-year contract back in return.
Simmons staying healthy is a big question mark. It has been three years since we’ve seen him play healthy basketball consistently. Very quickly the wheels could fall off. But if they don’t, Simmons will be able to help the team’s development while not performing at a level well enough to hinder draft position, all while potentially becoming a positive asset at the trade deadline. This might actually be the most valuable he’s been to the team in recent memory.
